Leadframe and method for manufacturing resin-molded semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

In a leadframe for an LGA package, a lead member is pressed downward to form a land lead with a half-cut portion and a land portion. The land portion, whose bottom will be a land electrode, is inclined at a predetermined angle and the bottom of the land portion is made lower than that of a lead. Thus, in a resin molding process using a seal sheet, the land electrode is forced into, and strongly adhered to, the seal sheet when pressure is applied through dies, and no resin encapsulant reaches the land electrode. As a result, no resin bur will be left on the land electrode of the land lead.

This application is a divisional of application of 09/654,070 filed onSep. 1, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a leadframe, which includes leads withland electrodes functioning as external terminals and can replace aconventional leadframe with beam-like leads. The present invention alsorelates to a method for manufacturing a land-grid-array (LGA)resin-molded semiconductor device, in which a semiconductor chip isbonded onto the leadframe and the assembly is molded with a resinencapsulant.

In recent years, to catch up with rapidly advancing downsizing ofelectronic units, it has become increasingly necessary to assemblesemiconductor components, like resin-molded semiconductor devices, at ahigher and higher density. In response, sizes and thicknesses ofsemiconductor components have also been noticeably reduced. In parallelwith this downsizing trend, the number of pins needed for a singleelectronic unit is also increasing day after day. To meet these demands,resin-molded semiconductor devices of a greatly shrunken size and with adrastically reduced thickness should now be assembled at an even higherdensity.

Hereinafter, a conventional leadframe for a resin-molded semiconductordevice will be described.

FIG. 22 is a plan view illustrating the structure of a conventionalleadframe. As illustrated in FIG. 22, the leadframe includes rectangulardie pad 102, support leads 103, beam-like inner leads 104, outer leads105 and tie bars 106, all of these members being provided inside a framerail 101. The die pad 102 is used for mounting a semiconductor chipthereon. The support leads 103 support the die pad 102. The inner leads104 will be electrically connected to the semiconductor chip with someconnection members like metal fine wires. The outer leads 105 are joinedto the respective inner leads 104 and to be connected to externalterminals. And the tie bars 106 are provided for joining and fixing theouter leads 105 together and for preventing a resin encapsulant fromoverflowing during a resin molding process.

It should be noted that normally the leadframe does not consist of thesingle pattern shown in FIG. 22, but is made up of a plurality of suchpatterns, which are arranged and connected together both horizontallyand vertically.

Next, a known resin-molded semiconductor device will be described. FIG.23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a resin-molded semiconductordevice including the leadframe shown in FIG. 22.

As shown in FIG. 23, a semiconductor chip 107 has been bonded onto thedie pad 102 of the leadframe and electrically connected to the innerleads 104 with metal fine wires 108. The semiconductor chip 107 on thedie pad 102, the inner leads 104 and so on have been molded with a resinencapsulant 109. The outer leads 105 protrude from the side faces of theresin encapsulant 109 and have had their outer ends bent downward.

Next, a method for manufacturing the resin-molded semiconductor devicewill be described with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24. First, thesemiconductor chip 107 is bonded, with an adhesive, onto the die pad 102of the leadframe. This process step is called “die bonding”. Next, thesemiconductor chip 107 is connected to the respective inner ends of theinner leads 104 with the metal fine wires 108. This process step iscalled “wire bonding”. Subsequently, the semiconductor chip 107 and aportion of the leadframe inside the tie bars 106 (i.e., the inner leads104 and so on) are molded with the resin encapsulant 109 such that theouter leads 105 protrude outward. This process step is called “resinmolding”. Finally, the tie bars 106 are cut off at the boundary betweenthe tie bars 106 and the resin encapsulant 109 to separate the outerleads 105 from each other and remove the frame rail 101, and therespective outer ends of the outer leads 105 are bent. This process stepis called “tie bar cutting and bending”. In this manner, a resin-moldedsemiconductor device with the structure shown in FIG. 23 is completed.In FIG. 24, the dashed line indicates a region where the assembly ismolded with the resin encapsulant 109.

As described above, the number of devices that should be integratedwithin a single semiconductor chip, or the number of pins per chip, hasbeen on the rise these days. Thus, the number of outer leads should alsobe increased to catch up with this latest trend. That is to say, thenumber of inner leads, which are joined to the outer leads, shouldpreferably be increased to cope with such an implementation. However,the width of the inner (or outer) lead has a processable limit. Thus, asthe number of inner (or outer) leads is increased, the overall size ofthe leadframe and that of the resulting resin-molded semiconductordevice also increase. In view of these states in the art, it isdifficult to realize a downsized and thinned resin-molded semiconductordevice. On the other hand, if only the number of inner leads isincreased to cope with the rise in the number of pins needed for asemiconductor chip while using a leadframe of substantially the samesize, then the width of a single inner lead should be further reduced.In such a case, however, it is much more difficult to perform variousprocess steps for forming the leadframe, like etching, as originallydesigned.

Recently, face-bonded semiconductor devices, such as ball grid array(BGA) types and land grid array (LGA) types, are also available. In thesemiconductor device of any of these types, first, a semiconductor chipis mounted onto a carrier (e.g., a printed wiring board) includingexternal electrodes (e.g., ball electrodes or land electrodes) on itsbottom. Next, the semiconductor chip is electrically connected to theexternal electrodes. And then the chip and its associated members aremolded with a resin encapsulant on the upper surface of the carrier. Thesemiconductor device of this face-bonded type, which is mounted directlyon a motherboard on the bottom, will be a mainstream product in the nearfuture. Accordingly, it is now clear that the conventional leadframe andresin-molded semiconductor device using the leadframe will soon be outof date under the circumstances such as these.

Also, the conventional resin-molded semiconductor device includes outerleads protruding outward from the side faces of a resin encapsulant, andis supposed to be mounted onto a motherboard by bonding the outer leadsto the electrodes on the motherboard. Accordingly, the conventionaldevice cannot be mounted onto the board so reliably as the semiconductordevices of the BGA and LGA types. Nevertheless, the semiconductordevices of the BGA and LGA types are expensive, because these devicesuse a printed wiring board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aleadframe effectively applicable to a resin-molded semiconductor device,in which external terminals are arranged and exposed in lines on thebottom of the package with almost no resin bur left on.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method formanufacturing the resin-molded semiconductor device using the leadframe.

An inventive leadframe includes a frame rail, a die pad, support leadsand first and second groups of leads. The frame rail is made of a metalplate. The die pad is used for mounting a semiconductor chip thereon,and disposed approximately in a center region of an opening of the framerail. One end of each of the support leads supports the die pad, whilethe other end thereof is connected to the frame rail. One end of each ofthe leads of the first group extends toward the die pad at leastpartially, while the other end thereof is connected to the frame rail.The bottom of each lead of the first group is used as a land electrodeof a first group. One end of each of the leads of the second groupextends toward the die pad and is closer to the die pad than the end ofthe lead of the first group is, while the other end thereof is connectedto the frame rail. Part of the bottom of each lead of the second groupis used as a land electrode of a second group. The first and secondgroups of land electrodes are arranged in two lines. At least part ofeach lead of the second group has been pressed down by half-cutpressworking such that the bottom of each land electrode of the secondgroup is lower than that of each land electrode of the first group. Thatpart of the lead of the second group is inclined downward.

If a resin-molded semiconductor device is formed using this leadframe, aland grid array (LGA) package can be obtained. That is to say, externalterminals will be arranged in two lines on the bottom of this package.Specifically, the second group of land electrodes of land leads (i.e.,the second group of leads) forms the inner one of the two, while thefirst group of land electrodes of leads (i.e., the first group of leads)forms the outer line. At least part of each lead of the second group hasbeen pressed down by half-cut pressworking such that the bottom of eachland electrode of the second group is lower than that of each landelectrode of the first group. In addition, that part of the lead of thesecond group is inclined downward. Accordingly, when a pressure isapplied to these leads, the bottom of the land electrode of the secondgroup is forced into, and strongly adhered to, a seal sheet, and noresin encapsulant reaches the land electrode. As a result, a package,including external terminals with no resin bur left on, can be obtained.

In one embodiment of the present invention, that part of the lead of thesecond group is preferably inclined at an angle between 3 and 15 degreeswith a principal surface of the leadframe.

An inventive method for manufacturing a resin-molded semiconductordevice includes the step of a) preparing a leadframe. The leadframeincludes a frame rail, a die pad, support leads and first and secondgroups of leads. The frame rail is made of a metal plate. The die pad isused for mounting a semiconductor chip thereon, and disposedapproximately in a center region of an opening of the frame rail. Oneend of each of the support leads supports the die pad, while the otherend thereof is connected to the frame rail. One end of each of the leadsof the first group extends toward the die pad at least partially, whilethe other end thereof is connected to the frame rail. The bottom of eachlead of the first group is used as a land electrode of a first group.One end of each of the leads of the second group extends toward the diepad and is closer to the die pad than the end of the lead of the firstgroup is, while the other end thereof is connected to the frame rail.Part of the bottom of each lead of the second group is used as a landelectrode of a second group. The first and second groups of landelectrodes are arranged in two lines. At least part of each lead of thesecond group has been pressed down by half-cut pressworking such thatthe bottom of each land electrode of the second group is lower than thatof each land electrode of the first group. And that part of the lead ofthe second group is inclined downward. The method further includes thesteps of: b) bonding a semiconductor chip onto the die pad of theleadframe prepared; c) connecting electrode pads, which are formed onthe principal surface of the semiconductor chip bonded to the die pad,to respective upper surfaces of the first and second groups of leads ofthe leadframe with metal fine wires; d) adhering a seal sheet to atleast the bottoms of the die pad and the first and second groups ofleads on the backside of the leadframe; e) molding an upper part of theleadframe, the semiconductor chip, the die pad and the metal fine wirestogether with a resin encapsulant, while applying a pressure to at leastthe ends of the first and second groups of leads to press the first andsecond groups of land electrodes against the seal sheet; and f)stripping the seal sheet from the leadframe after the step e) has beenperformed.

In this method, a resin-molded semiconductor device is formed bymounting a semiconductor chip on the leadframe, connecting the chip tothe leads (whose bottoms will be land electrodes as external terminals)with metal fine wires and then molding these members together with aresin encapsulant. In this manner, a land grid array (LGA) package canbe obtained. That is to say, external terminals will be arranged in twolines on the bottom of the resin-molded semiconductor device (or thepackage). Specifically, the second group of land electrodes of landleads (i.e., the second group of leads) forms the inner one of the two,while the first group of land electrodes of leads (i.e., the first groupof lead) forms the outer line. Part of each lead of the second group hasbeen pressed down by half-cut pressworking such that the bottom of theland electrode of the second group is lower than that of the landelectrode of the first group. In addition, that part of the lead of thesecond group is inclined downward. Accordingly, when a pressure isapplied to these leads, the bottoms of the land electrodes of the secondgroup are forced into, and strongly adhered to, a seal sheet. That is tosay, it is possible to prevent the leads of the second group from beinglifted by the pressure applied during the injection of the resinencapsulant, and no resin encapsulant reaches the land electrodes. As aresult, no resin bur will be left on the land electrodes of the secondgroup.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a leadframe according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2(a) is a plan view illustrating a land lead and a lead accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of the lead taken along the lineIIb—IIb shown in FIG. 2(a); and

FIG. 2(c) is a cross-sectional view of the land lead taken along theline IIc—IIc shown in FIG. 2(a).

FIG. 3 is a top view of a resin-molded semiconductor device according tothe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the inventive resin-molded semiconductordevice.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the resin-molded semiconductordevice taken along the line V—V shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the resin-molded semiconductordevice taken along the line VI—VI shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating how the resin-moldedsemiconductor device may be mounted on a motherboard.

FIGS. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are cross-sectional views illustratingrespective process steps for manufacturing the resin-moldedsemiconductor device according to the present invention.

FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) are respectively partial plan view and partialcross-sectional view illustrating, on a larger scale, part of the landlead according to the first embodiment.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are partial cross-sectional views illustrating howrespective members of the resin-molded semiconductor device may bemolded with a resin encapsulant in the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of the resin-moldedsemiconductor device of the first embodiment, in which resin bur is leftduring a resin molding step.

FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b) are respectively plan view and cross-sectionalview illustrating a land lead for a leadframe according to a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating how a seal sheet isattached to a land lead of the leadframe according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view illustrating how to place a leadframeinto press dies to form the land lead of the leadframe according to thesecond embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the land lead that hasbeen formed out of the leadframe according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a plan view illustrating a conventional leadframe.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventionalresin-molded semiconductor device.

FIG. 24 is a plan view of the conventional resin-molded semiconductordevice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1

A first embodiment of the present invention relates to a leadframe, aresin-molded semiconductor device including the leadframe and a methodfor manufacturing the device.

First, a leadframe according to the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a leadframe according to the presentinvention. FIG. 2(a) is a plan view illustrating a land lead 4 and alead 5 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectionalview of the lead 5 taken along the line IIb—IIb shown in FIG. 2(a). AndFIG. 2(c) is a cross-sectional view of the land lead 4 taken along theline IIc—IIc shown in FIG. 2(a). In FIG. 1, the two-dot chain indicatesa molding region where a semiconductor chip will be mounted on theleadframe of this embodiment and these members will be molded togetherwith a resin encapsulant.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2(a), 2(b) and 2(c), the leadframe of thisembodiment is a platelike member made of a metal like copper or Alloy 42for use in normal leadframes. The leadframe includes die pad 1, framerail 2, support leads 3, linear land leads 4 and linear leads 5. The diepad 1 is used for mounting a semiconductor chip thereon. One end of eachsupport lead 3 is connected to the frame rail 2, while the other endthereof supports one of the four corners of the die pad 1. One end ofeach of the land leads 4 and leads 5 extends toward the die pad 1, whilethe other end thereof is connected to the frame rail 2. The land leads 4and the leads 5 are equivalent to the second and first groups of leads,respectively, as defined in the appended claims. The respective bottomsof the land leads 4 and leads 5 are used as external terminals (or landportions). In addition, not only the bottom but also the outer side faceof each lead 5 serve as an external terminal that can be connected to amotherboard. The inner free end of the land lead 4 is closer to the diepad 1 than that of the lead 5 is.

Specifically, the die pad 1 includes a circular, protruding portion 6.The protruding portion 6 protrudes upward from around the center of theupper surface of the die pad 1 (as will be described later withreference to FIG. 5). The protruding portion 6 can be formed byhalf-cutting part of a flat plate for the die pad 1 and making that partprotrude upward by pressworking. A semiconductor chip will actually besupported on this protruding portion 6. Thus, when the semiconductorchip is mounted on that portion 6, a gap will be created between thesurface of the die pad 1, except for the protruding portion 6, and thebackside of the semiconductor chip. A groove 7 is also formed in theupper surface of the die pad 1 to surround the protruding portion 6.Accordingly, when the semiconductor chip is bonded onto the die pad 1and molded with a resin encapsulant, the resin encapsulant will enterthe groove 7. In the illustrated embodiment, the groove 7 is formed inan annular shape. When the semiconductor chip is molded with a resinencapsulant after having been bonded and fixed onto the protrudingportion 6 of the die pad 1 with an adhesive, the resin encapsulant isreceived at the groove 7. Accordingly, even if a stress, resulting fromthermal expansion, has peeled the resin encapsulant off the surface ofthe die pad 1, that peeled part of the resin encapsulant can be trappedat the groove 7, thus preventing the reliability of the resin-moldedsemiconductor device from decreasing. Although the groove 7 is annularaccording to this embodiment, the groove 7 may also be in the shape of adiscontinued ring. Also, two or more grooves 7, e.g., three or fourgrooves, may be formed. In short, the shape and number of the groove(s)may be appropriately selected depending on the size of the die pad 1 andthat of the semiconductor chip to be mounted thereon.

Also, in this embodiment, the land leads 4 and leads 5 are arrangedalternately and parallelly when connected to the frame rail 2. As viewedfrom above, the inner free ends of the land leads 4 and leads 5 arearranged like a hound's-tooth check. And the respective inner ends ofthe land leads 4 are closer to the die pad 1 than those of the leads 5are. This arrangement is selected such that when the semiconductor chipis mounted and molded with a resin encapsulant, the bottoms of theseinner ends of the land leads 4 and leads 5 are arranged like ahound's-tooth check on the bottom of the package. And these bottoms willbe used as external terminals arranged in two lines. As shown in FIG.2(a), the land lead 4 is a linear lead including a curved land portion 8at its end functioning as an external terminal. Also, as shown in FIG.2(c), the land portion 8 has an original thickness, which is greaterthan the thickness of the other portions that has been reduced byhalf-etching.

More specifically, the land portion 8 of the land lead 4 protrudesdownward, and the upper surface of the land lead 4 is greater in areathan the lower surface thereof. In FIG. 1, the dashed line indicates theland portion 8 on the bottom of the land lead 4. In FIG. 2(a), thecross-hatched regions indicate the half-etched portions of the land lead4. Like the land lead 4, the outer edge of the lead 5 also has itsthickness reduced by half etching, a wide portion 9 is provided at theend of the lead 5 and a groove 10 is formed at around the root of thewide portion 9 as shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b). A land portion with acurved edge is also formed on the bottom of the lead 5. In FIGS. 1 and2(a), the hatched region indicates the groove 10. If a semiconductorchip is mounted on the leadframe of this embodiment and molded with aresin encapsulant, then just one side of the package will be sealed andthe bottom and the side face of the lead 5 will be exposed. Accordingly,unlike the conventional fully-molded package, some stress might beapplied to the leads 5 during resin molding or after the package hasbeen mounted on the motherboard. Even so, that stress can be cushionedby the grooves 10, thus preventing the metal fine wires from beingdisconnected and keeping the assembled product highly reliable. In thiscase, the surface of the land portion 8 of the land lead 4 and the wideportion 9 of the lead 5 will be bonding pads to which the metal finewires will be connected.

In the leadframe of this embodiment, the land leads 4 and leads 5 areboth linear leads, and the land portion 8 on their bottom has a curvededge. Also, since the land leads 4 and leads 5 are arranged alternately,the land portions 8 of these leads 4 and 5 form a hound's-tooth check onthe bottom of the package.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a rectangular (or annular) groove 11 isformed in the bottom of the die pad 1 of the leadframe according to thefirst embodiment. As can be seen from the bottom view illustrated inFIG. 4, the bottom of the protruding portion 6 is encircled with thegroove 11. When the package is bonded onto a motherboard with solder orany other bonding member applied to the bottom of the die pad 1, thesolder does not expand more than necessarily, since the groove 11receives the solder. As a result, the package can be mounted moreaccurately. In addition, the stress applied by the die pad 1 itself,resulting from the heat dissipated from the semiconductor chip, can alsobe cushioned. In the illustrated embodiment, just one groove 11 isprovided. Optionally, to further improve the mounting accuracy, anotherone, two or more annular grooves may be additionally formed around theouter periphery of the bottom of the die pad 1.

Furthermore, each of the support leads 3 may have a dummy land portionor bent portion.

The number of the land leads 4 or leads 5 may be appropriately selecteddepending on the number of pins of a semiconductor chip to be mounted onthe leadframe.

Also, according to the first embodiment, the surface of the leadframemay plated with a stack of metal layers, e.g., nickel (Ni), palladium(Pd) and gold (Au) layers, if necessary.

When a resin-molded semiconductor device is formed by mounting asemiconductor chip on the leadframe of this embodiment, connecting thechip to the leads with metal fine wires and molding these memberstogether with a resin encapsulant, a land grid array (LGA) package canbe obtained. That is to say, two lines of external terminals arearranged like a hound's-tooth check on the bottom of the resin-moldedsemiconductor device (or the package). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4,the land portions 8 of the land leads 4 with a curved edge have theirbottoms exposed along the inner one of these two lines, while those ofthe leads 5 with a curved edge also have their bottoms exposed along theouter line.

A resin encapsulant might peel off after the members have been moldedwith the resin encapsulant while a resin-molded semiconductor device isbeing formed using the leadframe of the first embodiment. However, thatpeeled resin encapsulant can be received at the groove 7 formed in theupper surface of the die pad 1. As a result, the resin-moldedsemiconductor device can be greatly reliable. In addition, the heat canbe dissipated from the device more efficiently, the package can bebonded onto a motherboard with solder more accurately and the area of amountable semiconductor chip can be increased.

Next, a resin-molded semiconductor device, which has been formed byusing the leadframe shown in FIGS. 1, 2(a), 2(b) and 2(c), will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 3 and 4 arerespectively top and bottom views of a resin-molded semiconductor deviceaccording to the first embodiment. FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectionalviews of the device taken along the lines V—V and VI—VI, respectively,shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the resin-molded semiconductor deviceof the first embodiment includes the die pad 1, semiconductor chip 12,leads 5, land leads 4, metal fine wires 14 and resin encapsulant 15. Asdescribed above, the die pad 1 has the protruding portion 6 and groove 7on its upper surface and the annular groove 11 on its bottom. The groove7 surrounds the protruding portion 6 on the upper surface and may becircular, rectangular or any other complex shape. The semiconductor chip12 has been bonded onto the protruding portion 6 of the die pad 1 with aconductive adhesive (not shown) such as silver paste. Each of the leads5 has the groove 10 on its upper surface and has its bottom exposed onthe bottom of the package. Each of the land leads 4 extends toward thedie pad 1 and the inner end of the land lead 4 is closer to the die pad1 than that of each lead 5 is. Each of the land leads 4 has its bottomexposed on the bottom of the package and used as the land electrode 16.The metal fine wires 14 electrically connect the electrode pads (notshown) on the principal surface of the semiconductor chip 12 to thebonding pads 13 of the land leads 4 and leads 5. And all of thesemembers 1, 12, 5, 4 and 14 are molded together within the resinencapsulant 15 except for the bottom of the die pad 1, respectivebottoms of the land leads 4 and leads 5 and respective outer side facesof the leads 5. The respective bottoms of the land leads 4, exposed onthe bottom of the resin encapsulant 15, and the respective side facesand bottoms of the leads 5, exposed on the bottom and side faces of theresin encapsulant 15, are used as the land electrodes 16. These landelectrodes 16 will be external terminals when the package is mountedonto a motherboard like a printed wiring board. These bottoms of theleads 5 and land leads 4 are exposed out of the resin encapsulant 15 andarranged in two lines like a hounds'-tooth check. Each of the landelectrodes 16 is exposed and protrudes out of the resin encapsulant 15by about 20 μm, thus providing a standoff height needed in mounting thepackage onto the motherboard. In the same way, the exposed bottom of thedie pad 1 also protrudes out of the resin encapsulant 15. Accordingly,after the package has been mounted onto the motherboard, heat, generatedfrom the semiconductor chip 12, can be dissipated more efficientlytoward the motherboard through the solder joint.

In addition, the bottom of the die pad 1 is further provided with aconcave portion 17. As described above, the half-cut protruding portion6 is formed on the upper surface of the die pad 1 by pressworking.Accordingly, the depth of the concave portion 17 is substantially equalto the height of the protruding portion 6. In the illustratedembodiment, the die pad 1 is made of a metal plate (i.e., the leadframe)with a thickness of 200 μm. And the height of the protruding portion 6may be between 140 μm and 180 μm, i.e., 70 to 90% of the thickness ofthe metal plate.

The area of the bonding pad 13 of the land leads 4 and leads 5 ispreferably large enough to enable wire bonding, e.g., 100 μm² or more,and small enough to make the electrodes arrangeable at a high densityneeded for realizing a downsized and thinned resin-molded semiconductordevice.

By utilizing the structure of this embodiment, a high-densityface-bonded resin-molded semiconductor device, which can cope with therecent increase in number of pins, is implementable.

According to the present invention, the thickness of the package (or theresin-molded semiconductor device) itself can be reduced to as small as1 mm or less, e.g., 800 μm.

In this manner, the resin-molded semiconductor device of the firstembodiment can be a land grid array (LGA) package. That is to say,external terminals are arranged in two lines like a hound's-tooth checkon the bottom of the package. Specifically, the land electrodes 16 ofthe land leads 4 have their bottoms exposed along the inner one of thetwo, while the land electrodes 16 of the leads 5 also have their bottomsexposed along the other outer line. Also, even if the resin encapsulant15 has peeled off between the backside of the semiconductor chip 12 andthe upper surface of the die pad 1, that peeled resin encapsulant can bereceived at the groove 7 formed in the upper surface of the die pad 1.As a result, the resin-molded semiconductor device can be kept reliable.In addition, the heat can be dissipated from the device moreefficiently, the package can be bonded with solder onto a motherboardmore accurately and the area of a mountable semiconductor chip can beincreased.

Furthermore, the resin-molded semiconductor device of the firstembodiment is an LGA type device that can be bonded onto a motherboardusing only the leadframe and does not need any additional wiring orcircuit board necessary for the conventional LGA device. And yet theinventive device can be bonded onto the motherboard more strongly.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating how the resin-moldedsemiconductor device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6 may bemounted on a motherboard. As shown in FIG. 7, the device of thisembodiment may be mounted onto a motherboard 18 (e.g., a printed wiringboard) by bonding the land electrodes 16, exposed on the bottom of thepackage, to the motherboard 18 with an adhesive 19 such as solder. Theland electrodes 16 of the land leads 4 are bonded to the motherboard 18with the adhesive 19 that has been attached only to the bottoms of theelectrodes 16 (not shown in FIG. 7). On the other hand, as shown in FIG.7, the land electrodes 16 of the leads 5 are bonded to the motherboard18 with the adhesive 19 that has been attached not only to the bottomsof the electrodes 16 but also to the side faces of the leads 5. This ispossible because the outer side faces of the leads 5 are exposedaccording to this embodiment.

In a known LGA resin-molded semiconductor device, only the bottoms ofland electrodes are bonded to a motherboard with an adhesive. Incontrast, according to this embodiment, the outer side faces of theleads 5, which form the outer line of land electrodes 16 on the bottomof the package, are exposed out of the package (or the resin encapsulant15). Thus, it is possible to apply the adhesive 19 to those side facesas well. That is to say, the leads 5, forming the outer line of landelectrodes 16, can be bonded to the motherboard 18 with the adhesive 19on two sides, i.e., their bottoms and their outer side faces. As aresult, the package can be bonded onto the motherboard more strongly andmore reliably.

According to this embodiment, the land electrodes are arranged in twolines that correspond to the land leads and leads, respectively. Inaddition, the land electrodes, arranged along the outer line, have theirside faces exposed out of the resin encapsulant. Thus, it is possible toprovide additional portions to be connected to the motherboard for theside faces of the package. A two-side (i.e., bottom and side faces)bonding structure like this has never been applied to the bonding of thepackage to the motherboard by any other known LGA resin-moldedsemiconductor device using a leadframe. Thus, the inventive structurerealizes much more reliable bonding and is very advantageous.

When a resin-molded semiconductor device is formed by mounting asemiconductor chip on the leadframe of this embodiment and molding themtogether with a resin encapsulant, land electrodes, electricallyconnected to the chip, can be arranged in two line or like ahound's-tooth check on the bottom of the package. In this manner, aface-bonded semiconductor device can be obtained. Accordingly, comparedto the known bonding technique using leads, the package can be bonded tothe motherboard much more reliably.

In addition, the inventive resin-molded semiconductor device does notinclude any circuit board with land electrodes unlike a known BGAsemiconductor device. Instead, according to the present invention, anLGA semiconductor device is formed with a metal plate shaped into aleadframe. Thus, the inventive semiconductor device is far moreadvantageous than the known BGA semiconductor device inmass-productivity and manufacturing cost.

Next, an exemplary method for manufacturing the inventive resin-moldedsemiconductor device will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. FIGS. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are cross-sectionalviews illustrating respective process steps for manufacturing theresin-molded semiconductor device according to the first embodiment. Inthe following description, a method for manufacturing an LGAresin-molded semiconductor device using the leadframe shown in FIG. 1will be exemplified. Also, only the cross-sectional views taken alongthe line V—V shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (i.e., cross sections passing theland leads 4) will be referred to for convenience sake. Accordingly, noleads 5 are illustrated in any of FIGS. 8 through 13.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, a leadframe, including the frame rail, diepad 1, support leads (not shown in FIG. 8), leads (not shown in FIG. 8)and land leads 4, is prepared. The frame rail is formed out of a metalplate. The die pad 1 for mounting a semiconductor chip thereon isdisposed within the opening of the frame rail. One end of each supportlead supports the die pad 1, while the other end thereof is connected tothe frame rail. The bottoms of the leads will be used as land electrodesthat are arranged in line at regular intervals. Each of these leads hasa wide bonding pad portion, to which a metal fine wire will beconnected, on the surface of its inner end, while the other outer endthereof is connected to the frame rail. A groove is formed near theinner end of each lead. The bottoms of the land leads 4 will also beused as land electrodes. Each of these land leads also has a widebonding pad portion 13, to which a metal fine wire will be connected, onthe surface of its inner end, while the other outer end thereof isconnected to the frame rail. The upper surface of each land lead 4 isgreater in area than the lower surface thereof. And the respective innerends of the leads and land leads 4 are alternately arranged in two lineslike a hound's-tooth check. The die pad 1 has a protruding portion 6 anda circular or rectangular groove 7, surrounding the protruding portion6, on its upper surface, and also has an annular groove 11 and a concaveportion 17 on its lower surface.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, a semiconductor chip 12 is mounted and bonded,with a conductive adhesive like silver paste, onto the protrudingportion 6 of the die pad 1 of the leadframe prepared. In this case, thesemiconductor chip 12 is placed with its circuitry side (or itsprincipal surface) facing upward.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10, electrode pads, formed on the principalsurface of the semiconductor chip 12 on the die pad 1, are electricallyconnected, with metal fine wires 14, to the bonding pads 13 on the uppersurfaces of the land leads 4 and leads (not shown) of the leadframe. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the area of each of these bonding pads 13,to which the metal fine wire 14 is connected, is 100 μm² or more.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11, a seal tape or seal sheet 20 isclosely attached to the backside of the leadframe, i.e., to the bottomof the die pad 1, the land electrodes of the land leads 4 and thebottoms of the leads (not shown). The seal sheet 20 used in this processstep is made of a plastic material that is not adhesive to the leadframebut can be easily peeled off after the resin encapsulation. By usingthis seal sheet 20, the resin encapsulant cannot reach the backside ofthe leadframe during a resin molding process step and therefore no resinbur will be deposited on the bottoms of the die pad 1, land leads 4 andleads (not shown). Thus, a water jet process step, which is normallycarried out for deburring purposes after the resin molding, can beomitted.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12, the exposed upper surface of theleadframe with the die pad 1, the semiconductor chip 12 on theleadframe, metal fine wires 14 and so on, are molded together with aresin encapsulant 15 with the seal sheet 20 attached to the backside.This process step is ordinarily performed by a single-side-moldingtechnique, i.e., transfer molding using a die assembly consisting ofupper and lower dies divided. In this case, since the bottoms of the diepad 1, land leads 4 and leads (not shown) are not covered with the resinencapsulant 15, a “single-side-molded structure” is obtained.Particularly, portions of the land leads 4 and leads, which areconnected to the frame rail 2 (i.e., portions that have not been moldedwith the resin encapsulant 15), are preferably pressed by the upper dieagainst the lower die with the seal sheet 20 interposed therebetween. Inthat case, the resin molding process can be performed with the bottomsof the land leads 4 and leads strongly pressed and forced into the sealsheet 20. As a result, no resin bur will be left on these bottoms and astandoff height is ensured, because these bottoms of the land leads 4and leads will protrude downward from the bottom of the package (i.e.,the bottom of the resin encapsulant 15).

The seal sheet 20 may be closely attached or adhered to the backside ofthe leadframe in any of various manners. For example, the seal sheet 20may be placed in advance on the lower die of the die assembly and thenattached to the leadframe before the resin molding process is carriedout. Alternatively, the seal sheet 20 may be attached in advance to theleadframe before the resin molding process is carried out, and then theassembly with the seal sheet may be introduced into the die assembly andmolded with the resin encapsulant.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13, after the resin molding process is over, theseal sheet 20 is peeled off, for example, and then portions of thesupport leads, land leads 4 and leads, which have been connected to theframe rail, are cut off. In this process step, these leads are cut offsuch that the respective ends of the leads are substantially flush withthe side faces of the resin-molded package. As a result, the bottoms ofthe land leads 4 and leads become land electrodes 16, the outer sidefaces of the leads becomes external electrodes and the bottom of the diepad 1 is exposed to easily dissipate heat therefrom.

By the method for manufacturing a resin-molded semiconductor deviceaccording to this embodiment, a package with a backside structure suchas that illustrated in FIG. 4 is obtained. Specifically, as the packageis viewed from below, land electrodes are arranged in two lines alongthe four sides of the package. That is to say, the land electrodes 16 ofthe land leads 4 have their bottoms exposed along the inner line, whilethe land electrodes of the leads have their bottoms exposed along theouter line. In this manner, a land grid array (LGA) package, includingexternal terminals arranged in two lines like a hound's-tooth check, isformed. Alternatively, an LGA package, including two lines of parallellyarranged external terminals, may also be formed.

In addition, according to the inventive method for manufacturing aresin-molded semiconductor device, land electrodes are arranged in twolines for two different types of leads. Thus, it is also possible toprovide connection portions on the outer side faces of the package. Thatis to say, since the resin-molded semiconductor device can be bondedonto a motherboard on two sides (i.e., bottom and side faces), thedevice can be bonded much more strongly and reliably.

Embodiment 2

The leadframe structure of the first embodiment still has some parts tobe further modified.

Hereinafter, modifications applicable to the leadframe of the firstembodiment will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) are respectively partial plan view andpartial cross-sectional view illustrating, on a larger scale, part ofthe land lead 4 (i.e., lead on the second line) of the leadframeaccording to the first embodiment. FIGS. 15 and 16 are partialcross-sectional views illustrating how the land lead 4 and lead 5 areaffected by a stress applied by a resin encapsulant being injectedduring a resin molding process. FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectionalview illustrating what resin-molded semiconductor device will be formedwhen the stress is applied to those leads 4 and 5.

As shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b), the land lead 4 (i.e., the lead ofthe second group) has the land portion 8 at its inner end and only thebottom of the land portion 8 will be the land electrode 16. During aresin molding process, the outer end of the land lead 4 (i.e., the endlocated closer to the frame rail) is pressed by a first upper die 21against a second lower die 22 via the seal sheet 20 as shown in FIG. 15.However, since the land portion 8 at the inner end of the land lead 4 isrelatively distant from the point where the land lead 4 is pressed bythe first die 21, the land electrode 16 on the bottom of the landportion 8 cannot strongly adhere to the seal sheet 20. Accordingly,while a resin encapsulant is being injected in the direction indicatedby the arrows in FIG. 15, the injection pressure is likely to lift theland electrode 16 on the bottom of the land portion 8 of the land lead 4from the seal sheet 20. As a result, the land lead 4, which has beenpeeled off the seal sheet 20, will be molded with the resin encapsulantas it is. On the other hand, the inner end of the lead 5 (i.e., lead ofthe first group) is relatively close to a point where the lead 5 ispressed by the first die 21. Thus, when the first die 21 is presseddownward, the bottom of the lead 5 will make tight contact with the sealsheet 20 and is not peeled off the sheet 20.

If the land lead 4 in such a state is molded with the resin encapsulant,then the resin encapsulant will reach the bottom of the land lead 4(i.e., the land electrode 16) to leave resin bur 23 on the surface ofthe land electrode 16 of the land lead 4 as shown in FIG. 17. As aresult, the land electrode 16 could not function as an externalelectrode properly. Thus, to solve a problem like this by getting thebottom of the land lead 4 strongly adhered to the seal sheet 20 andthereby eliminating the resin bur 23 will have a great significance inthe pertinent art.

Hereinafter, a leadframe designed to solve this problem and a method formanufacturing a resin-molded semiconductor device using the leadframewill be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In thefollowing illustrative embodiment, a technique of getting the landelectrode 16 of the land lead 4 strongly adhered to the seal sheet willbe exemplified.

FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b) are respectively plan view and cross-sectionalview illustrating a land lead for a leadframe according to the secondembodiment. The overall structure of the leadframe is basically the sameas that illustrated in FIG. 1. However, the leadframe of the secondembodiment is different from the counterpart of the first embodiment inthe shape and function of the land leads 4, i.e., the leads of thesecond group. As will be described later, according to this embodiment,at least the land leads 4 are designed to be strongly forced into andadhered to the seal sheet. In FIG. 18(b), the dashed line indicates thelead 5, i.e., the lead of the first group, to show the level differencebetween the lower surface of the land electrode 16 and that of the lead5.

As described above, the leadframe of the second embodiment has basicallythe same structure as that of the first embodiment. Thus, only thedifferences between these two embodiments will be described. As in thefirst embodiment, the leadframe of the second embodiment also includesthe land leads on the inner line (i.e., the leads of the second group)and the leads on the outer line (i.e., the leads of the first group).However, according to the second embodiment, the land lead 4 has adifferent shape as shown in FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b). More specifically, atleast the land portion 8 of the land lead 4 is thicker than the otherportion thereof, and the part of the land portion 8, including the landelectrode 16 on the bottom, protrudes downward compared to the lowersurface of the lead 5. That is to say, the land lead 4 has a half-cutportion 24, which is formed by half-cut pressworking, at around the rootof the land portion 8, and the land portion 8 has been pressed down inits entirety. Accordingly, the lowermost edge of the land electrode 16is lower than the bottom of the lead 5 by the space S that is shown inFIG. 18(b) and corresponds to the depth of the half-cut portion 24.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the entire land portion 8 isinclined downward at an angle θ with the principal surface of theleadframe. Accordingly, compared to a leadframe structure in which theentire land portion 8 is parallel to the principal surface of theleadframe, the lower edge of the land portion 8 can be forced into andadhered to the seal sheet more easily. In this case, the angle θ ofinclination is preferably between 3 and 15 degrees, more preferably 5±1degrees as defined in this embodiment. The level difference of thehalf-cut portion 24, formed by pressworking, is 20 μm. The land lead 4further includes a wide portion 25 connected to the land portion 8. Thewide portion 25 is formed by pressing and extending the land lead 4horizontally.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b), the half-cutportion 24 is formed at around the root of the land portion 8 of theland lead 4, the entire land portion 8 has been pressed down to inclinedownward at the angle θ and the bottom of the land electrode 16 is lowerthan that of the lead 5. Accordingly, in the resin molding process, thepressure applied by the die strongly forces the bottom of the land lead4, which will be the land electrode 16, into the seal sheet, and thebottom of the land lead 4 can make tight contact with the seal sheetwithout being lifted from the sheet. As a result, no resin encapsulantreaches, and no resin bur will be left on, the land electrode 16 of theland lead 4.

The level difference created by forming the half-cut portion 24 can beappropriately defined according to this embodiment depending on thedistance between one end of the land lead 4, connected to the framerail, and the other free end thereof and the pressure applied by thedies. Normally, if the thickness of the land lead 4 is about 200 μm, alevel difference of about 20 μm is preferably formed by half-cutpressworking.

Next, an exemplary method for manufacturing a resin-molded semiconductordevice using the leadframe of the second embodiment will be described.

In the manufacturing process of the resin-molded semiconductor deviceusing the leadframe of the second embodiment, almost the same processsteps as those of the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 13will be performed. Thus, it will be described just how the land lead 4changes its position during the resin molding process.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view how the land electrode 16 of the landlead 4 can make tight contact with the seal sheet 20 during a resinmolding process using the leadframe of the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 19, the land portion 8 of the land lead 4 has beenpressed down to be bent downward at the angle θ with the principalsurface of the leadframe and its land electrode 16 has been pressedagainst, and strongly forced into, the seal sheet 20. Thus, the landelectrode 16 can make tight contact with the seal sheet 20.

In the resin molding process using the seal sheet 20, at least the endsof the leads 5 and land leads 4 (i.e., the leads of the first and secondgroups) are pressed by the dies to force the land electrodes 16 of theleads 5 and land leads 4 into the seal sheet 20. In such a state, therespective members on the upper surface of the leadframe, i.e., theupper part of the die pad, the semiconductor chip and the metal finewires, are molded together with the resin encapsulant. When thispressure is applied, the land electrodes 16 of the leads 5 are pressedagainst the seal sheet 20. Thus, the land electrodes 16 of the landleads 4, which have been pressed down to incline downward at the angle θwith the principal surface of the leadframe, are also pressed againstand strongly forced into the seal sheet 20. As a result, the resinmolding process can be performed with no resin encapsulant allowed toreach the land electrodes 16.

Thus, it is possible to prevent the land leads 4 from being lifted fromthe seal sheet 20. Since no gap is formed between the seal sheet 20 andthe land electrodes 16 of the land leads 4, no resin encapsulant willreach, and no resin bur will be left on, the land electrodes 16. In FIG.19, the arrow indicates that the pressure, applied by the resinencapsulant being injected, forces the land electrode 16 of the landlead 4 into the seal sheet 20.

Next, it will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21 how toshape the land lead of the leadframe according to the second embodiment.FIGS. 20 and 21 are cross-sectional views illustrating the land leadalong with upper and lower dies.

First, as shown in FIG. 20, a relatively thick lead member 26, of whicha land lead will be made, is sandwiched between upper and lower dies 29and 32 and then shaped by pressworking. The upper die 29 includes ahalf-cut pressworking portion 27, inclined at the desired angle, and apressing portion 28 for pressing and extending the lead member 26. Onthe other hand, the lower die 32 includes a concave portion 30 and apressing portion 31, which correspond to the half-cut pressworkingportion 27 and pressing portion 28 of the upper die 29, respectively.

In this case, the shapes of the half-cut pressworking portion 27 andconcave portion 30 of the upper and lower dies 29 and 32 are definedsuch that the land portion and half-cut portion will be formed at theend of the lead member 26 and at the root of the land portion,respectively, and that the entire land portion will be pressed down andinclined downward at the angle θ with the principal surface of theleadframe. Also, except for parts of the lead member 26 connected to theland portion and the frame rail of the leadframe, respectively, the leadmember 26 is pressed and extended horizontally (i.e., compressedvertically) by the pressing portions 28 and 31 of the upper and lowerdies 29 and 32. As a result, that pressed part of the lead member 26 hasits thickness reduced and extended horizontally to form the wideportion.

As shown in FIG. 21, except for at least the land portion 8 and theinner end 33, the land lead 4 is relatively thin, and the land portion 8including the land electrode 16 protrudes and inclines downward at theangle θ. In this land lead 4, the half-cut portion 24 is formed byhalf-cut pressworking at around the root of the land portion 8, the landportion 8 itself has been pressed down and the land electrode 16 thereofis lower than that of the lead 5. In the illustrated embodiment, thethinned portion of the land lead 4 has a thickness of 130 μm when thelead member 26 has a thickness of 200 μm. That is to say, a leveldifference of 70 μm has been formed. On the other hand, the land portion8 has a level difference of 20 μm, which has been created by thehalf-cut portion 24, and has been pressed down. The angle θ ofinclination may be 5±1 degrees as described above.

By manufacturing a resin-molded semiconductor device using the leadframeof this embodiment, almost no resin bur will be left on the landelectrodes 16 of the land leads 4 during the resin molding process. As aresult, the land electrodes will stick out of the resin encapsulant toreach a sufficient standoff height in the resin-molded semiconductordevice.

In the foregoing embodiments, the leadframe is supposed to have theleads arranged in two lines, i.e., the leads of the first and secondgroups. However, according to the present invention, those leads do nothave to be arranged in two lines but in any other number of lines. Thus,the present invention is effectively applicable to a leadframe withleads arranged in three, four or more lines.

By forming a resin-molded semiconductor device using the inventiveleadframe, a land grid array (LGA) package, having external terminalsarranged in two lines on its bottom, can be obtained with almost noresin bur left on the bottom. Also, according to the present invention,the land electrodes can be formed out of the leadframe on the bottom ofthe resin-molded semiconductor device without using any additionalcircuit board for the electrodes. As a result, the manufacturing costscan be cut down, and yet the device can be bonded onto a motherboardmore reliably compared to the known bonding technique using leads.

In accordance with the inventive method for manufacturing a resin-moldedsemiconductor device, the resin molding process is performed using theleadframe and with the seal sheet adhered to the bottom of theleadframe. That is to say, there is no need to form any protruding leadsunlike the known process. Thus, the lead bending process can be omitted.In addition, after the resin molding process is finished, the land leadswill have their land electrodes exposed along the inner line on thebottom of the package and the leads will also have their land electrodesexposed along the outer line on the bottom. In this manner, two lines ofexternal terminals can be arranged parallelly or like a hound's-toothcheck, thus providing an LGA package. Furthermore, the land electrodes,arranged along the outer line on the bottom of the resin-moldedsemiconductor device, are parts of the leads and the outer side faces ofthose leads are exposed out of the package. Thus, by applying anadhesive such as solder to these side faces, fillet portions will beformed and the package can be bonded onto a motherboard on two sides,i.e., on the bottom and side faces. As a result, the package can bebonded more strongly and connected more reliably onto the motherboard.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing a resin-moldedsemiconductor device, comprising the steps of: a) preparing a leadframe,the leadframe including: a frame rail made of a metal plate; a die padfor mounting a semiconductor chip thereon, the die pad being disposedapproximately in a center region of an opening of the frame rail;support leads, one end of each said support lead supporting the die pad,the other end of the support lead being connected to the frame rail; afirst group of leads, one end of each said lead of the first groupextending toward the die pad at least partially, the other end of thelead of the first group being connected to the frame rail, the bottom ofthe lead of the first group being used as a land electrode of a firstgroup; and a second group of leads, one end of each said lead of thesecond group extending toward the die pad and being closer to the diepad than the end of each said lead of the first group is, the other endof the lead of the second group being connected to the frame rail, partof the bottom of the lead of the second group being used as a landelectrode of a second group, wherein the first and second groups of landelectrodes are arranged in two lines, and wherein part of each said leadof the second group has been pressed down by half-cut pressworking suchthat the bottom of each said land electrode of the second group is lowerthan the bottom of each said land electrode of the first group, andwherein said part of the lead of the second group is inclined downward;b) bonding a semiconductor chip onto the die pad of the leadframeprepared; c) connecting electrode pads, which are formed on theprincipal surface of the semiconductor chip bonded to the die pad, torespective upper surfaces of the first and second groups of leads of theleadframe with metal fine wires; d) adhering a seal sheet to at leastthe bottoms of the die pad and the first and second groups of leads onthe back-side of the leadframe; e) molding an upper part of theleadframe, the semiconductor chip, the die pad and the metal fine wirestogether with a resin encapsulant, while applying a pressure to at leastthe ends of the first and second groups of leads to press the first andsecond groups of land electrodes against the seal sheet; and f)stripping the seal sheet from the leadframe after the step e) has beenperformed.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step e), when thefirst group of land electrodes are pressed against the seal sheet withthe pressure applied, the second group of land electrodes are pressedagainst, and forced into, the seal sheet.